On July 18, California State Assembly Member Akilah Weber announced $500,000 in grant funding was secured from the 2022 state budget to increase mobility access around schools and parks in La Mesa.
Weber, a practicing medical doctor who served on La Mesa City Council from 2018 to 2021 and now represents District 79, said the grant money is part of a larger $51,550,000 approved in the state budget which will be allocated to several projects across Southeast San Diego County.
“We are honored to receive a portion of these state funds for our local La Mesa community. This grant funding will allow La Mesa to identify infrastructure deficiencies and incorporate sidewalk and active transportations features that are sorely needed,” La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis said.
Assistant La Mesa City Manager Carlo Tomaino said the city is preparing a Sidewalk Master Plan to enhance pedestrian connections throughout La Mesa. The plan emphasizes connectivity and includes both a sidewalk map of areas that might better serve the community if connected as well as a no-sidewalk list which preserves rural sections of La Mesa and circumvents overly hilly areas where sidewalks might not be utilized or welcome.
Specifically, the $500,000 grant funding will allow the City to prepare master plans for Tower Street and Hoffman Avenue which identify infrastructure deficiencies and incorporate sidewalk and active transportation features such as bike lanes. Those projects are consistent with the city council’s recent efforts toward improving the west end of La Mesa.
Rolando Elementary School, which borders Sunshine Park, currently has no sidewalk access to the North side of the facility and stands to benefit from the funding as well as Hoffman Avenue, which runs through the Vista La Mesa neighborhood and is a primary access point for Vista La Mesa Academy as well as King Street park. Both locations support the City’s Climate Action Plan, Tomaino said, and are conducive to improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
“Increased access to pedestrian connections could help reduce reliance on vehicles, especially for shorter trips within walking distance,” Tomaino said.
City staff will conduct public participation and input meetings as part of finalizing the master plan, Tomaino said, before phasing in construction based on funding availability.
Other District 79 projects include $2,000,000 for the Padre Dam Municipal Water district to create a new source of water supply for East County residents, $2,000,000 for Martin Luther King Jr. community pool upgrades, and $600,000 to the city of San Diego for upgrades to the Mountain View Park sport court and American Disabilities Act compliant accessibility.
“This is a tremendous win for the families in our community,” Weber said.
